How do you encourage rooming in.

[gallicxy]

Hi all,

The hospital I am presently working in is moving towards baby friendly and their has been alot of resistance to the idea from nurses and staff. We are supposed to be encouraging rooming in but not alot of nurses do. We still have the traditional nursery and most babies return there at night. I understand the need for an occasional break and am not one to discourage this but I also understand the benefits of rooming in and would like to educate my patients and encourage it

I am looking for ideas as to how encourage moms to room in without sounding preachy. What do you do?

[melmarie23, MSN, RN]

just be honest with them. Say that your unit is in a state of transition and that you're encouraging mom's and babes to room in. Then give them the rationale (benefits of room sharing because this even applies to when at home-i.e. decrease in SIDS, facilitates breastfeeding, helps parents learn their infant's feeding cues etc). Its no different then educating them on feeding (whether at the breast or via bottle), safe sleep, newborn care, post partum care etc. Education is a large part of what we do with our post partum patients.

[Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP]

You are also going to have to get the OB offices/clinics on board with this, to start the education process well before your patients ever get to the hospital. Our clinics have a blurb in their brochures that's something along the lines of: "We deliver babies at XYZ hospital. XYZ hospital encourages babies to room in with their mothers 24/7, as this facilitates [insert all benefits here]. Most routine newborn care is also done in the mother's room as well." That way people know what to expect ahead of time.

Before the OBs started doing this, we'd be doing baths etc. in the room and mention that we do encourage moms and babies to stay together because there are benefits to both parties in doing so, as long as both mom and baby are healthy.

[bagladyrn, RN]

I'm all for babies rooming in with their parents whenever possible. My issue with it is that administration uses this as a way to cut staffing by eliminating the "nursery nurse". Unfortunately, those making these rules almost invariably work days. Then we are faced with a weeping, exhausted, hormonal mom at 2 a.m. who really needs a break and nowhere to take the baby except out to the nurses station - and we have other patients to tend to (especially in small places where you may also have a laboring pt.). Now who watches the baby? Ward clerks/secretaries may not even exist on nights in small hospitals.

Don't even suggest waking dad who is snoring on the cot -if there is one he'll hand the baby right back to mom as soon as you leave the room!

[HeartsOpenWide, RN]

Our philosophy is Family Centered Care, very rarely do we double new moms up in a room. We do not have a NICU, just a standard nursery. We do not staff nurses in the nursery. If there is a sick baby we will get some one to come in, but if its going to need to be in the nursery for much more than a shift, or two tops, we transport them out. Our patients do not have the option to not be room in. Sometimes the nurses on NOC shift, when it is slow, will watch a baby for a brief period of time (at the nurses station). But, on the day shift we do not have time or the staff for it.

[Katie71275]

Where I gave birth to, the nurses just stated they recommend rooming in.

For the most part, I did, but that first night is really really hard as you are exhausted from laboring and just need to sleep! Also, I was nervous to sleep with the baby in there as I was afraid someone might come and get them!

Our hospital has a full nursery, so this helps.

[carrie_c]

I think rooming in is sometimes not the best idea. We have a lot of spitty babies, especially section ones. The parents might be too exhausted to wake up when the baby is choking. We have had babies in the nursery turn blue. If they had been in the room, they would probably be dead. This is why I don't encourage rooming in. Of course, it the parents want to, I don't discourage it either. I just tell them that our nursery is open from 11p-6a, and if they want to send the baby to just let me know. I don't push it either way. But I think the nursery is sometimes safer. We have at least 2 nurses in there at all times, usually more.

[PinkNBlue, BSN, RN]

I usually educate the mother; as their nurse you kind of have an idea of their plan. I never want to sway them either way. I just want to give them the facts and let them make their own informed decision. They have enough decisions to make, rooming in shouldn't be a difficult one. I hate when some nurses make the mother's feel guilty if they do decide to send the baby to the nursery. Ultimately it's up to them.